Knife for cutting off bananas



(ModeL) W. TRACY.

Knife for Cutting Off Bananas. No. 242,237. Patented May 31, 1881.

N. mm. MoL'rlhagrlphar, Wahingtom 0.0.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM TRACY, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

KNIFE FOR CUTTING OFF BANANAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,237, dated May 31, 1881,

A Application filed March '21, 1881. (Model) T all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM TRACY, of Ponghkeepsie, in the State of New York, have invented a new Improvement in Knives for Fruit-Picking; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a lull, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said JO drawings constitute part of this specification,

and represent, in

Figure 1, a view from one side; Fig. 2, the reverse side.

This invention relates to an improvement in knives for cutting fiuit from the stem, with special ref i'ence to cutting bananas from their stem.

Bananas as they come to market are in an unripe condition, some ripening much quicker 2o thanothers. Inthesalcot' this articleitis necessary to cut from the stem only the ripe ones,

but they are so close together and are so oompact that it is ditlicnlt to separate any particular one from the stem without injuring others, as the blade of the knife generally used is liable to slip and gash the adjacent fruit. So, also, in cutting parts of bunches of grapes a similar difficulty is experienced.-

The object of this invention is the construction of a cutter which may be used with facility Without danger to the adjacent fruit; and the invention consists in the construction ofa knife as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claim.

A is the blade, made as narrow as convenient with due regard to strength, and extending from a shank, B. Toward the end the blade is curved, giving to the cutting-edge a semi-"Heck shape, so that a person holding the knife by the handle C may pass the curve in around the stem, and then,by an outward pull, out the stem without danger of injuring the adjacent fruit, as is the case in the common knife and such as generally used.

In some cases a pushing out is desirable; and in order to adaptthe knife for such a cut and give to it the advantage of a drawing out as well as a pushing out, I make upon the back of the blade, and distant from the point opposite the curved edge, as at I), a sharp edge diagonal to the handle. from the sharp edge to the point, as also the back from the other en 1 of the sharp edge, serve as guards to prevent cutting adjacent fruit, and so that a direct push upon the blade gives a shear or drawing out.

While I prefer to make the sharp back I) in a straight line diagonal, it may be somewhat curved and attain the objectofadiagonal cutthat is, the drawing out. I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting this invention to a straight diagonal edge; but by the term diagonal I wish to be understood as embracing a line of edge not parallel with the line of the handle.

I claim- The herein-described knife, consisting of the bade constructed with a semi-hooked cuttingedge, and with the diagonal cut uponthe back of the curved portion of the blade anddistant from the point, so that the back forms a guard between the cutting-edge and point, substantial] y as described.

. WILLIAM TRACY.

Witnesses WiLLIAM L. DELAOEY,

SEWARD BAKER.-

The back of the blade 

